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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Ming spoke, focusing on locating the energy entity with the Fate Card. Suddenly, a line of Bowman Sand Soldiers appeared beside him, quickly shooting in one direction. Zhir's voice came through: "The area within this sandstorm is protected by divine power; it's also my only blind spot. I cannot confront the gods directly, but I can guide you to the location of the energy entity."
Cui Ming and his companions formed a triangle stance. Cui Ming asked, "If that's the case, once we release it, can you eliminate it?"
"Yes," Zhir replied without explaining the difference.
Sadin assessed the shooting position, teleporting thirty meters away. With a flick of his Force sword, he unleashed a wave of Void Power that struck the small dragon, forcing it back into its original form. The dragon was sent flying over ten meters, burrowing into the sand. Sadin shouted to Cui Ming and the others, "It's not strong; it lacks speed and power. But it is a Void Energy Entity and can easily pass through a person's body. If it passes through and self-destructs inside someone, that would be quite dangerous."
"Be careful," Cui Ming cautioned, having never seen Sadin fight and unsure of his strength.
"I'm fine; I have Void Power within me. It won't harm me if it passes through my body." This was why Mages had to choose individuals like Sadin and the Prophet—those who had cultivated Void Power—as their vessels.
The Sand Soldiers acted in an orderly manner, taking turns to shoot rapidly. As soon as the dragon approached, Feng and Cui Ming remained vigilant while the dragon wisely retreated. Relying on his Void Power, Sadin continued to inflict damage on the dragon. Ultimately, the dragon took a risk to attack Feng but was swiftly cut down, vanishing into nothingness. Cui Ming was astonished to find that his Card Play had no effect on the dragon.
This was a minor incident; the three continued to follow the Sand Soldiers forward. Half an hour later, they exited the sandstorm area—a stretch of over ten square kilometers of sand isolated by the storm. The Sand Soldiers disappeared, and Zhir appeared at their former location, walking at a steady pace. After some time, he radiated Force energy that blew away the sand, revealing a structure ahead.
The building lay beneath a sand pit that had been cleared away; it had a square structure with a tall stone sculpture at its entrance depicting two suns being lifted—a relic of considerable age but severely damaged. A clearly defined stone path led to the building, adorned with various glowing magical symbols both outside and in mid-air. Inside the building, a powerful purple aura enveloped everything like a tornado swirling within.
Suddenly, as the tornado ceased, the purple aura transformed into a large face. The exterior of the building resembled a prison as this face strained against its confines and spoke: "Zhir, old friend, you've come to see me again."
Zhir ignored it and turned to Sadin beside him: "This is the Royal Tomb—the place where Mages are sealed. What do you think?"
Sadin stepped forward to examine the path in the sand pit along with the building and sculptures. "This is a magic circle; the Royal Tomb is built atop it. This magic circle is incredibly intricate; it certainly doesn't seem to be made by human hands. I can understand some of its symbols; brute force won't work—it would trigger an attack from the magic circle which is quite vicious. To break this seal, I must find its main object."
Magic circles always have a main object—such as sacrifices or Magic Stones—representing youth or life itself. Once established, unless one possesses greater power than that of the magic circle itself, breaking it can only be achieved by locating its main object. The specifics are complex; some require counter-magic circles to dismantle them while others can be destroyed through brute force or by removing their main object.
"Sadin," came the venomous voice of the Mage, "you could have possessed infinite life and god-like abilities but chose to be a pawn for a false god." Clearly aware that Zhir intended to release him after millennia of failed attempts thwarted by powerful magic circles, he sneered: "Zhir, this is a sanctuary left by the Sun God for his descendants. You emperors all carry his Bloodline yet now seek to destroy what he has bestowed upon you—the only wealth left by your revered Sun God. How will you face him?"
“Sanctuary has been defiled. After I eliminate you, my soul will repent to the Sun God. It is my fault for trusting you and failing to protect everything the Sun God has bestowed upon us,” Zhir replied.
“Haha, the Sun God is dead. If he were alive, would he need you?” Mage said. “Sadin, come inside. We can merge and journey to the Void together, becoming new gods.”
Sadin remained unmoved. “This is an odd-numbered magic circle; breaking it will take considerable time.” Many mages possessed strong mathematical skills.
Wind asked, “Can it be broken?” What was the point of discussing odd and even?
“I can’t say for sure, but odd-numbered magic circles have a characteristic: separation of the main and secondary elements… In simple terms, if you give me enough time, I can gradually weaken the power of this magic circle.”
Cui Ming inquired, “How long will it take?”
“I don’t know.”
“I can teach you the symbols,” Zhir offered.
“Symbols are rare in magic circles; they mainly consist of signs and diagrams. Some symbols have been passed down, and I understand their meanings, but most remain unclear. It’s fine; I can slowly identify each symbol's function using small magic circles or spells. I’ll need time—possibly three or four days, or maybe three or four months.”
Cui Ming said, “We don’t have enough food.”
“I will bring food and water,” Zhir assured. With that, a building rose behind them—a seven-meter-high structure made of sand.
Even with Force, the scorching sun was uncomfortable; having such a place was truly wonderful. As they entered, they immediately felt the coolness inside. Zhir stood at the entrance and said, “I will keep watch here. Be careful not to be lured past the statue of the Sun God. Additionally, he will create energy beings to ambush you. Cui Ming and Wind, you must protect Sadin; I will arrange for guards.” With that, Zhir transformed into a pile of sand and vanished.
At the entrance appeared four Bowman Sand Soldiers, standing before the Royal Tomb with their bows drawn and ready to fire.
The competition had begun, and right from the start, Cui Ming and the others found themselves at a disadvantage. The Bastard Mage continuously emitted various jarring noises, leaving the three exhausted and in need of rest. Just as they managed to fall asleep, they were jolted awake again. This happened three or four times, and Wind could no longer bear it. He ran to the sand pit and cursed the Mage for five minutes, only to receive a cold chuckle in response.
It was impossible to go without sleep, so they had no choice but to dig two large pits in the sand house, burying themselves with only their noses and mouths exposed for breathing. One person would cover the other two and take watch. The noise was barely audible now, but sleeping like this was incredibly uncomfortable. When Cui Ming finally woke up, his entire body ached.
Sadin was also feeling unwell but still began to work. As Cui Ming's bodyguard, he naturally stayed by Sadin's side throughout. Sadin first divided the magic circle into eight sections, copying them down with paper and pen. Then he began analyzing the first section, selecting symbols he recognized. After that, he constructed a small magic circle nearby to experiment with the functions and meanings of the symbols, recording their contents in order to decipher the entire magic circle. The speed of cracking the first section was slow, but it would increase as he recognized more symbols. Through this opportunity, Sadin could effectively enhance his magical knowledge.
However, the process was quite challenging; the first symbol went smoothly, but the second took several hours. The third symbol...
In his dreams, Wind heard a loud explosion and instinctively flew out of the sand house. He saw two shadowy figures writhing about ten meters away. Rushing over to check, he discovered that they had been blasted from eighty meters away by a small magic circle. The explosive energy had breached their protective Force, resulting in extensive burns and internal injuries. Not daring to delay, Wind immediately carried them back to the sand house and tossed them into a pit to bury them. Sadin and Cui Ming quickly entered a state of recovery for their injuries. Sadin felt guilty for having put Cui Ming in danger. Cui Ming was furious; he thought to himself that this Fate Card shouldn't be so melodramatic—if it couldn't kill him, would they not summon skeletons?
This was Cui Ming's first time suffering such severe injuries. He had no idea that Sadin had calculated the potential damage and had set up protective measures in the magic circle; otherwise, both of them would have died from that blast. Cui Ming was extremely annoyed by this symbol resembling a 'J' from a Poker deck. He had not been mentally prepared for an explosion while digging in the sand to create some shade. The blast came too quickly; his Fate Card couldn't activate in time, and he was thrown like a ragged sack.
After settling both of them down, Wind took his watch while also checking on the side where he found a deep pit twenty meters wide created by the explosion. This was due to Sadin's pre-arranged protective measures directing destructive force downward; under normal circumstances, not only would both men have perished, but Wind would have been in danger as well. For the first time, Wind experienced a mage's destructive power; no wonder the Alliance had taken measures to monitor and restrict mages back then—their destructive capabilities were too strong and sometimes beyond their control.
Take Li Qing for example; as a young mage specializing in the Magic System who used summoning spells, he had inadvertently destroyed a village over a hundred kilometers away. Li Qing certainly did not intend to annihilate the village; it just happened uncontrollably. Practitioners of the Magic System must progress through practical experience combined with theory, which inherently carries risks.
With Cui Ming and Sadin severely injured, Wind suffered the most as he had to keep watch while Zhir seemed to be doing nothing at all. Aside from sending Sand Soldiers with food and water occasionally, Zhir remained silent and unseen. Wind had no choice but to endure sleeplessness while also caring for two injured individuals by dripping water onto their lips.
It wasn't until the morning of the third day that Cui Ming finally crawled out of the sand pit; all external injuries had healed completely. As soon as he woke up, he lunged for some salted fish and fresh water, devouring them greedily. Wind stood by explaining: "For someone who has been dehydrated or without food for an extended period, it's best to eat small amounts frequently when facing food and water."
Just as Cui Ming managed to swallow some food and catch his breath, Wind dove back into the sand pit; before Cui Ming could even begin covering himself up again, Wind was already fast asleep. (To be continued.)
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